The Circles Curse
by bluebabe82
Summary: Voldemort is back and Harrys life is in danger so Dumbledore makes a hard decision to protect the young wizards and to fight the final battle.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer : I don't own any of the JK Rowling characters or settings but everything else in mine.  
  
A/N: this is set around Harrys last year at Hogwarts and assumes everyone is around 18. This is so that any romance that crops up isn't too icky!  
  
Prologue  
  
The circle paused chanting when the newcomer approached – the long velvet cloak trailing in the bloodied sand around the pit where the bodies lay, battering and bleeding and all unmoving. "It is time". Black eyes glistened evilly beneath the black hood as the circle began to chant again. Swirls of smoke filled the cavern, snakes of colour fighting and joining together until the world blackened and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Several of the circle fell to their knees, eyes smarting and bile rising as their retching joined the chorus of voices. "Weaklings" a voice screamed at them, "Fools." The newcomer stepped into the centre of the circle, into the fire and raised their arms in prayer to the dark vortex which had formed above the heads of the ressurectors. "Come forth master and show yourself" the voice screamed again, head tilted up to welcome forth the answer to the circles calling. The room began to spin as a storm raged from within the vortex. The circle members one by one stopped their chanting and clung together, shaking and moaning in fear and recognition of the events they had brought forth. The dark vortex widened and the winds harsh music reached its crescendo as a single pillar of smoke descended into the fire, instantly taking primitive human form.  
  
There was a flash of lighting and a loud thunderclap – then the cavern was plunged into silent darkness. Straining to hear something, the circle members stumbled to their feet and moved like zombies to the edge of the cavern, thankfully grabbing at the rough walls. One found a torch and within seconds a small ball of light filled the dark space. Blinking, the shivering members stared at the now empty space where the fire had raged only moments before. "Did it work?" someone whispered. Mumbling and shrugging the members moved closer to the burnt patch on the floor and scuffed it with their feet, searching for any clue that the past year of their lives had not been spent working in vain. "It worked." The voice from balcony was clear and rained down on the members like splintered glass. They turned and stared up into the shadows as the figure stepped into the pale light and pushed down their hood, shaking forth a tousled mass of hair. "The lord has returned and shall regain supreme."  
  
Part One – Lost Prophets  
  
Hermione leaned over Rons dozing form and flung open the tower bedroom window. Ron stirred as freezing rain bounced from the sill and onto his bare neck. "It stinks in here." She scolded, waving her hand in front of her nose and wrinkling her face to enforce the point. Harry glanced up from the book he was reading and grinned across at her. "Its Nevilles newest experiment. He's trying to brew a potion to get rid of the smell of his trainers." Hermione sighed, "That boy cannot do anything right – the damn thing smells worse than his shoes ever could." She scanned the room and, upon finding the offending cauldron bubbling gently by the boys sink, waved her wand over it and muttered an incantation Harry hadn't heard before. Suddenly the small cauldron levitated, spun around three times and replaced itself on the shelf. Instantly the smell dissipated and Hermiones face returned to its normal look of superiority. "Nicely done" Harry commended, "Can you stop Ron snoring?" he teased as his friend awoke, shivering under the weight of the water now covering his neck. Cursing, he closed the window and scowled at his fellow wizards. "Ok, who's trying to give me pneumonia?" he demanded. Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Ron you can't get pneumonia remember? We all took the new prevention medicine and are immune to all cold related infections" she reminded loudly. Ron rolled his eyes and flopped, face down onto the new springy mattress that came with their newly assigned bedrooms. "I have to say Harry, this room rocks" Blowing a stray stand of hair out of his eyes, the young wizard pushed himself into a kneeling position and proceeded to bounce wildly, sending his neatly arranged clothes flying from the foot of the bed onto the floor. Hermione clucked disapprovingly. "God Ron you're 18 now, stop acting like a child." "Oh this coming from the girl who screamed so loudly when she met Jolie Phillips that she got us all thrown out of Wizarellas?" Harry teased, watching with amusement as his friends cheeks reddened and she looked away, embarrassed. Privately Harry reflected that he had been pretty excited himself to bump into the most famous wizard rock star of their generation – but would never admit it to Hermione who's face now resembled the dark crimson of their house coloured bedding. Changing the subject, she commented on the rain, which was getting heavier by the second. "Typical Hogwarts weather for you." Ron muttered absentmindedly, as he attempted to levitate his clothes into the wardrobe. Harry winced as the doors slammed shut and the furniture wavered precariously. "I know what you mean Hermione. The weathers been balmy the last few weeks – boiling sunshine one moment and snowing the next. You think something is wrong?" he quizzed. Hermione shrugged, "Probably just global warming." She assured him, steadying the wardrobe with one hand and retrieving her bag and cloak with the other. "Well I'm bushed. I'm going to head back to my room and meet my new room- mate." She said, slipping into her cloak and moving towards the door. Harry looked up with interest. "That's right the new student. I'd have thought that final year is a bit late to come to Hogwarts but I'll reserve judgement until you met, assess and automatically detest her." He joked, flashing Hermione a wide grin guaranteed to diminish her wrath. Ron laughed, "Yeah and I'll reserve judgment until I see if she's hot or not." He added. Hermione clucked angrily at him and huffed her way out of the room. Ron turned to Harry and grinned, "She's so easy it's almost not fun anymore." He paused reflectively, "Almost".  
  
He looks exhausted, Minerva Mc. Gonnagal mused as she watched the headmaster twisting his thinning beard around his hand thoughtfully, his brow creased and eyes shut as he digested the new information. "Are you sure?" he asked finally. The messenger lingering at the door bounced on their heels and nodded twice nervously. "Yes sir. The ministry intelligence came back and they are positive that three weeks ago the resurrection ritual was performed in Willows cavern in Cornwall. All evidence points to a circle made up of the remaining death eaters and some other bad eggs they've recruited." "Eggs?" Dumbledores brow furrowed deeper for a moment then cleared with realisation, "Oh yes...of course...bad eggs." He muttered. From his position by the fire, Professor Severus Snape stirred and stood. "How was this allowed to happen?" he snapped at the messenger, who wilted considerably and began to sweat. Mc Gonnagal tutted, "This could not have been predicted Severus. Ever since your cover was blown the order no longer has anyone to deliver us up to date information." "That was not my fault," Snape said through gritted teeth, "If that Potter boy had not interfered..." "You were about to petrify his best friend Severus" the professor retorted angrily. "Enough" Dumbledore bellowed, causing them all to jump and fall into silence. His eyes fluttered open and he dismissed the messenger with a wave of his hand, and then turned his wary eyes onto his staff. "I believe we have enough to concern ourselves with at this moment without dissention in the ranks". He warned in icy tones. Both Hogwarts professors swallowed hard and nodded ashamedly. Silence fell, until Minerva's tiny voice spoke softly. "Should be close the school headmaster?" she asked, feeling Snape bristle beside her. Dumbledore thought for a moment then shook his head. "I do not believe that would be the best course of action at this time. But if Voldemort has indeed risen we must assume that he will attempt to harm Harry again. I am bringing in some protection for him and his friends." Snapes head snapped up and he stared dumbstruck at the headmaster. "You don't mean – "he stumbled on the name and fell into shocked silence. Minerva glanced from him to Dumbledore and back again. "Who?" she asked finally. Dumbledore rose and slowly crossed the large room until he could stare out of the far window onto the water clogged playing field below. Falks, his pet phoenix stirred on his perch and lazily stretched his neck to nip the hair closest to him. "It is true Severus." Dumbledore answered finally, his tone betraying the inner emotion, "I have called in a member of the spirit guardian circle. She will be arriving shortly." Snape shook his head and looked towards the floor. Minerva, in a confused state, asked what the spirit guardian circle was. Sensing that the headmaster would not reply, Snape raised his head and interjected. "The guardian circle is made up of the most powerful wizards in the netherworlds. They assume the form of the wizard they are brought in to protect but they are never truly human. Immortal, incredibly powerful and lacking in humanity they are trained to destroy anything which hurts their charge. For some reason when they assume human form everything gets a little worse, they find it difficult to distinguish between their emotions and those enforced by the persona they adopt. This makes them unstable and unreliable. They have been known to turn on those around them and with the amount of magic they possess – one could take out the entire school with a single blink of an eye." He shook his head. Minerva looked towards Dumbledore, who remained prone by the window, with obvious confusion and worry. "Good lord headmaster – it could kill us all." She exclaimed.  
  
"Only if you misbehave." The voice came from within the room, but could not be seen; only a dancing ball of light reflected against the large windows showed the spirits presence. Dumbledore turned and motioned for the spirit to come to him. Carefully, he dropped the ball of swirling light into the centre of the carpet and stood back. The wizards felt the heat as it radiated forth and shut their eyes against the blinding white light which exploded from the floor, swirling and dancing until a human form appeared before them. Before the light faded, Dumbledore stepped forward and draped a cloak around the slim shoulders of the guardian, whose beauty radiated with as much heat as her consuming light. "Welcome, Ophelia." Dumbledore bowed his head and smiled at the pale figure before him, shivering slightly as the first strains of the human world entered her consciousness. Minerva's brows creased as she caught Snapes foreboding tone and the whispered sentiment, "God save us all." 


	2. Bell Book and Candle

Disclaimer : I don't own any of the JK Rowling characters or settings but everything else in mine.  
  
A/N: this is set around Harrys last year at Hogwarts and assumes everyone is around 18. This is so that any romance that crops up isn't too icky!  
  
Part Two – Bell, Book and Candle  
  
Draco Malfoy was bored. Seated between a simpering Patsy and infuriating Goyle – the conversation pool was shallow at best. He picked at his eggs and swivelled his eyes up to watch as the Gryffindor losers entered the Great Hall. There they were, full of their own importance and an air of superiority he despised and had never understood. He was about to stab his fork into Goyles meaty hand which was edging towards his untouched bacon when he saw her.  
  
She moved with an ease that only came with knowing you possess more power than those around you and her bright blue curls bounced from her strong looking shoulders like angry serpents. Draco scanned the rest of the overflowing hall and noticed, with disgust, that his latest conquest interest had created a stir amongst Hogwarts other young males. He watched as she begrudgingly took a seat between Hermione and Lavender and tossed her hair defiantly at those boring holes into her back. Suddenly, her head snapped around and Draco found himself staring into the darkest eyes he had ever seen, a far cry from his icy blue ones. These were so dark he couldn't tell where the pupil ended and the iris began and he found himself inextricably aroused by the mystery that obviously lay behind them. He could feel her staring deep into his soul and it made him feel almost queasy with terror and excitement.  
  
A winding pain in his stomach forced him to break the connection and choke for air. He glared angrily at Patsy whose elbow was hovering inches above his groin, her face dark with annoyance and jealousy. "Who the hell is that?" she hissed loudly, causing several members of the Slytherin table to stop in mid conversation and turn their attention towards the schools most volatile couple. "I have no idea – I was distracted by her hair colour." Draco said smoothly, reaching for his water goblet to hide his embarrassment. Patsy's eyes bore into him for a few seconds more, then she shrugged and snuggled into his bony shoulder and cooed sickeningly into his ear. Draco smiled through his disgust and pressed his lips dryly against hers, instantly wincing as he picked up her sticky, slippery lip-gloss. Wiping his lips on his robe he glanced back at the Gryffindor table, where someone was causing a stir by attempting to turn the egg platter back into a chicken. Although he couldn't see her face, her posture told him the newcomer was bored. "Who is she?" he muttered to himself, finally getting round to stabbing Goyles hand as he finally succeeded in sneaking the bacon from his friends plate. Ignoring the whimpering he dug the fork in harder until blood droplets appeared and Patsy began to look impressed. Life, he mused, just got better with age.  
  
Harry Potter skidded on the highly polished floor and scrabbled against the flat walls frantically for any kind of support. Finding none, he cursed loudly as his legs slid out from under him and the floor rose up to meet his shoulder with a loud bang and a world of pain. "Jesus." He moaned, pushing himself into a seated position with his good arm and massaging his injured one until the pain dulled. Opening his eyes for the first time since he collided with the floor, he found himself staring at the shining patent toes of decidedly unreglulation shoes peeking out from under a dark blue cloak. "Oh god, are you ok?" the voice was unfamiliar and for a horrified moment Harry thought he might have slid into Sytherin territory. The sunlight drifting through the giant stained glass windows made a halo around the girls small frame, glinting from her white hair. Embarrassed, Harry took the offered hand and allowed her to help him into a standing position. He winced as his shoulder shifted and pain seared through him. "You're hurt." She muttered, laying a cool hand on the throbbing knot of pain. Ripping his attention from the perfectly formed pale hand pressing against the tender skin near his neck, Harry looked at the girl properly for the first time. Her eyes were a strange blue-purple colour and mesmerising in their uniqueness. Her white blond hair fell straight down her back, reminding him of the girl he'd met during the contest in his fourth year, except hers seemed to reflect every particle of light in even the darkest of surroundings. Her skin was pale bordering on translucent, which gave her a quality opposite to that of her obvious strength. He was so content staring at the vision before him that Harry didn't notice that the pain in his shoulder had vanished, until she removed her hand and ran it back through her hair. "Hey" he exclaimed, flexing his shoulder in amazement, "How did you – "he looked back but she was gone. Harry was still scanning the entrance hall in dismay when Hermione, Ron and the new girl, Claudia, joined him. "Waiting for Godo?" Hermione joked, amused at his displacement. Harry shrugged and nodded towards the hall, which was emptying in preparation for the first classes of the day. "Anything left"? He asked hopefully. Ron shook his head, "Sorry man. After Shamus managed to turn the eggs back into chickens everyone kinda ran and they cleared the tables. I managed to smuggle out a piece of toast for you." He offered his friend the soggy toast from his pocket, which Harry took candidly. They were half way to potions, the first and most hated class of the day, when he tentatively mentioned the stranger to Hermione. "Maybe she's a first year?" she offered. Harry shrugged, "She looked our age though. She was way too adult to be a first year." He blushed as Hermione arched an eyebrow and caught his eye. "Adult huh? Between you and Ron it's like testosterone city." She shrugged back at Ron who was desperately trying to impress a bored looking Claudia with his impression of a duck. Harry laughed, "No it's nothing like that. I know this sounds crazy but I think she healed me." "Healed you?" Hermione stopped dead, concern flooding her face. Harry shook his head, "It was nothing serious, I slipped and hurt my shoulder but after she'd touched it the pain was gone. I don't know – it just felt..." he trailed off as they arrived at the potions lab and filed in unhappily. Snape had been even more of a nightmare since his cover with the death eaters had been broken by the trio and he'd been relegated to being just another fighter for the good side. Even standing with his back to the class, Harry could sense he was in a worse mood than normal. He was not disappointed.  
  
Forty minutes into the class and Neville was shaking the corner, Hermione was crying furiously and even Malfoy was looking sheepish under the wrath of the moody professor. Ron had been seconds away from being turned into a small furry animal by Snape when the door had opened and Harrys stranger entered unannounced. For a moment Snape looked as if he had seen a ghost, then recovered and yelled at the girl for being late. Despite the sympathetic looks from her new classmates, the girl seemed unfazed as she took her seat beside an increasingly happier looking Neville. "I assume you know something about potions?" Snape sneered at the new girl. Unblinking, she stared back at him. "I daresay I know nearly as much as you." The girl replied lightly, much to the combined horror and amusement of her classmates. They watched as Snape paled considerably, inhaled sharply and drew himself to full height standing over the unquiverring stranger. "Nearly as much?" he said his voice dangerously soft. Neville, showing a sudden degree of wisdom, backed slowly away and sought refuge behind Ron. The girl looked up at Snape and spoke calmly. "Well obviously I won't know as much as you, otherwise I would be teaching the class and you would be my student." Even Malfoy gasped at this response. For a moment Snape looked as is he was going to explode, or kill her, or both – but suddenly he deflated and stepped back behind his desk. "Well we shall see how talented you are Miss Greene." He said absently. Harry and Hermione exchanged confused glances as the bell sounded and the class emptied even faster than normal. Outside in the hallway, a small crowd gathered around the stranger, congratulating her with awed expressions. Harry slouched against a statue until the crowd dispersed and he could approach the girl unimpeded. "That was quite a display in there." He said. The girl smiled. "He doesn't scare me. I've seen real monsters and believe me Severus Snape is far from that." Harry looked at her quizzically for a moment then shook his head. "What are you doing at Hogwarts –"he paused then smiled, "Miss Greene." He added. The girl tossed her hair and seemed to think for a moment. "Same as you probably – getting an education?" she offered, and then smiled. "And it's Ophelia." "Harry" she took Harrys outstretched hand and shook it lightly. As their fingers touched Harry felt something tingle between them, like an electric shock. The corridor began to spin in a whirl of colours and lights and Harry felt himself rising from the floor and ascending high above the school. He wasn't aware he had closed his eyes until Ophelias soft voice instructed him to open them. Instantly he regretted it. "Fucking hell" he screamed, feeling the bile rising in his throat. He was flying above the grounds, looking down at his classmates like they were tiny ants. He glanced across at Ophelia, whose hair was blowing frantically around her face in the bitter wind and saw she was emotionless. "We're flying." He remarked pointedly. Ophelia shook her head, "Not exactly. Look down," she pointed towards the corridor they'd left behind and Harry stared down in amazement – watching as his form and hers conversed as if nothing was wrong. "What have you done to me?" he demanded, attempting to wrench his hand away from her vice like grip. "Relax Harry, you are perfectly safe. I thought this was the only way we could discuss the situation without being overheard. So I removed your consciousness from your body." She said, emotionless. Harry gawked at the calm woman before him and felt sick once more. Sensing his discomfort, Ophelia closed her eyes and instantly they were transported to a beautiful garden, filled with thousands of lights buzzing around them like fireflies. "Now where are we?" the wizard asked angrily. Ophelia motioned for him to sit opposite her at a table that seemed to appear from nowhere and, against his better judgement, Harry fell into the waiting armchair thankfully. "I'm sorry if all this scared you Harry" Ophelia said softly. Harry shook his head with false pride, "I'm not scared. It's just a bit weird is all." He caught her eyes and sneered, "I'm not scared, alright? Now what the hell is going on?" he asked. Ophelia sighed and sat back in her chair, her fingers steepled beneath her small chin. "I could tell you that this is complicated. I could tell you that you wont understand the details and belittle you and tell you everything will be fine – but I'm not your headmaster and I refuse to do that. Harry, Lord Voldemort has risen again and I've been brought to you for protection." "You need my protection?" Ophelia laughed at his glimmer of ego and hope, and then shook her head. "You are in my protection. He will attempt to kill you Harry." Harrys face drained and he sat, open-mouthed in silence for a full minute.  
  
"H-h-how did that happen?" he stammered. Ophelia leant forward and rested her fingertips on his hands, which were palm down for support on the table between them. "A circle resurrected him." She replied simply, leaving Harry in no doubt that she knew more. Sighing, he closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them again to ask her what she was hiding he found himself back outside the potions classroom – alone. "I'm cracking up" he muttered, rubbing his eyes furiously. Something glistening on the back of his hand stopped him and he stared at them in disbelief. Where Ophelias fingertips had rested now lay an intricate pattern etched in white light than shimmered and moved when he turned his hands. "Dumbledore has a world of explaining to do." 


End file.
